Decisions, decisions...

[Skydawg]

Well the time has come to retire my current gear;
A very tired unvented Fox and Reactor combo that was starting to give me coronaries , but I find myself in a bit of a quandary, been that there's a plethora of really good gear out there, and my experience has been limited to the Fox...

So, how about some helpful comments (or not ) about new gear combo's.
Because the majority of our local sites are very low E's with sh[tty LZ's (Aussie) I was thinking about the new Rock Dragon from Vertigo (which is supposed to be really good in tight LZ's) or the FLiK without the fifth control line or an updated vented/valved Fox, and either BR's Vertex 2 pin rig or Asylum's Perigee Pro.

[Raymond Losli]

Don't forget about the newer, Atair, Troll BASE canopies.
I have noticed that they to fly well with good opening and landings.

So many good choices for you now, skydawg

[Tom Aiello]

Can you get demos?

[Skydawg]

Can you get demos?

Only on the FLiK, and I'll be loading it a bit more than normal.

[Tom Aiello]

Is there any way to put off your purchase until after taking a trip to demo? I really prefer to demo gear before buying, just because it's so personal (for example, the length of your arms will effect your ability to flare various canopies).

Most of the manufacturers are pretty good about sending out demos, and if you hit a big weekend in Idaho, or spend a week or two in Norway, almost everything rolls through, and folks are usually friendly about letting you try their gear.

[Skydawg]

Is there any way to put off your purchase until after taking a trip to demo? I really prefer to demo gear before buying, just because it's so personal .

Realistically, I probably won't be able to take any trips for the next year or so. I'll be buying based on other people's opinions.

[B.rad]

You should have a look at the Paratech Odyssey fx this is a sweet rig that performs from superlow no airspeed to full on terminal arials. It's also got a very comfy harness for those long climbs.
As for Canopy's the Blackjack is quite the ride from great on heading opening performance to and huge control range input. this canopy flies great in all area's even giving you soft landings on backed in or straight down approches.
after seeing video of all the other canopy's on the market open and fly this is my canopy of choice.
As for the container within my crew pretty much everybody jumps the odyssey fx, it didn't start this way but after seeing the comfort and functionality this is the way everybody's going.

[Tom Aiello]

You should have a look at the Paratech Odyssey fx this is a sweet rig...

After jumping my Odyssey FX for approximately 20 jumps, I returned it to the manufacturer. I did not request a refund. Read my review of the container here.

The manufacturer told me they would address my concerns in future revisions, but that was the last I heard from them.

[Rambobase]

I heard that this rig is no longer going to be produced anymore. This is obviously hearsay...something about the mfg. going into producing hunting gear. Probably alot more profitable than BASE gear. How does the Blackjack set you down on railroad tracks? ;) :p

[B.rad]

After jumping my Odyssey FX for approximately 20 jumps, I returned it to the manufacturer. I did not request a refund. Read my review of the container here.

The manufacturer told me they would address my concerns in future revisions, but that was the last I heard from them.

Hey Tom I heard that you had this container sized for a 310 and ended up putting a 260 or somthing like that into it? This is what i had heard.
is this true?

[B.rad]

I heard that this rig is no longer going to be produced anymore. This is obviously hearsay...something about the mfg. going into producing hunting gear. Probably alot more profitable than BASE gear. How does the Blackjack set you down on railroad tracks?

Hey brother how goes? as far As i know these rigs are still in production. As for the railroad tracks hmmm well that was my mojo. I can honestly say that during freefall as i was passing my pilot chute I was wishing it was my blackjack on my back. but hell I still jumped the next day and I haven't fallen apart yet this week so hell, guess those tracks ain't so tough after all. hahaha

[Tom Aiello]

Nope. Container was sized for a Blackjack 280. I jumped it with a Mojo 280 and a Fox 265. I did a fair amount of playing with the configurations.

[B.rad]

Nope. Container was sized for a Blackjack 280. I jumped it with a Mojo 280 and a Fox 265. I did a fair amount of playing with the configurations.

Actually the container was sized for a 310 as per canopy manufacturer recomendations. and the closing loops were about twice the recomended length by the manufacturer. Also since then a new stiffner plate has been added and new bridle routing has been developed. I think you should have another look at this rig as I think you will be very impressed with it. you had one of the original demo rigs #3 and it was being made for a canopy that had never been in production yet therefore Not knowing the correct pack volume.
Thanks Brad

[ManBird]

You can't go wrong with a Gargoyle. Your container issues are solved there. Though the Prism 2 is looking good, too. FLiK, Rock Dragon, and the MDV Troll all look to be excellent choices with all the "modern" features that alleviate problems that any canopy had before them.

I'm not super-experienced, but I don't think most experienced/current jumpers would disagree.

[Tom Aiello]

You'll note that my review does say something like "I'll post a new review when the manufacturer gets back to me." That was, what, 3 years ago?

As I said, I returned the rig, the manufacturer promised to address the issues, and then the manufacturer never got back to me.

Having paid for the rig, then returned it, I'd say I'm pretty well grounded in my opinion. Having had the manufacturer tell me they were going to work on it and show me the new product, then having them never get back to me, I'd say I'm fairly justified in continuing to hold my opinions.